Children's home run by Plymouth City Council

Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 1 SC454900 Registered provider: Plymouth City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home operates as a short-breaks service and is run by a local authority. It provides care for up to 6 children with complex needs who require at least one-to-one care and support.

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Information about this children's home

Twelve children are currently using the short-break services.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children who attended for their short break were seen by the inspector.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2025 Full Good 19/12/2023 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Inadequate 16/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take time to get to know children, their needs, communication methods and personalities. Staff plan thorough introduction sessions for children and only start overnight stays when it is the right time for the child. When children stay at the provision at the same time, managers consider their needs and behaviours with the aim of preventing any clashes of personality or behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from visits to a welcoming setting. Staff take time to prepare the environment for children's stays. Children are involved in making the space their own. Staff support children to make their beds and set out their toys and personal items, helping children to settle into their stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with sensitive, attuned and individualised care. They use children's preferred method of communication to enable them to communicate their choices in relation to the activities they complete, the games they play and the food and drinks that they consume. In addition, staff prepare and use a range of personalised stories using words and pictures, called 'social stories', to support children's understanding and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. Staff involve children in choosing, preparing and cooking meals and actively encourage children to do as much as they can for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build and maintain positive relationships with external professionals and the parents of children. They ensure that information about children is appropriately shared, and attend meetings about children to advocate for what is seen to be in their best interests. They work with children's schools to develop joined-up approaches to the care that children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aware of children's medical needs and how these can impact on the child. They have received training from healthcare professionals to administer controlled medications. The medication that children take is clearly documented in their planning and there are clear processes for signing medication in and out of the provision. However, there have been 5 instances of staff not giving children their prescribed medication. Following medication being missed, staff have informed children's parents, but they have not obtained medical advice. Leaders and managers have implemented more-robust processes to improve the handling and administration of medication.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand children's vulnerabilities and the risks that they may face. When children exhibit behaviours of concern, staff react swiftly. They use known and effective techniques to calm them and engage them in positive activities. Staff consider and Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 4 reflect on what children may be telling them through their behaviours. They communicate with children to gain an insight to the cause of behaviours. Staff share these views with the child's wider support network to inform children's care planning.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff support children to understand their feelings, behaviours and risks while protecting their privacy and dignity. Staff have sought and implemented advice from external professionals in relation to supporting children to understand their body and their feelings. They have also used social stories to talk to children about risks and how to keep themselves safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Restrictions that are in place are necessary to keep children safe. They are agreed with children's parents and their social workers. However, there is no mechanism in place to regularly review restrictions and devise planning to reduce them.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Concerns raised by a child about a member of staff have been investigated. The manager appropriately sought the child's views and direction from the local authority designated officer and the child's social worker. However, the child was not offered the opportunity to speak to their social worker or someone independent to the provision about their experiences. In addition, the child was not provided with any feedback about the outcome of the investigation.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The quality of documents designed to support staff to reduce risks and keep children safe is mixed. Staff are not always given essential guidance about known risks to children. This does not help them to understand the actions they must take to keep children safe and could result in inconsistent practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This provision is led by a dedicated management team. The manager and the deputy manager work closely together, ensuring good communication and reflection that benefit the staff team and the children who stay here. Staff value the style of leadership that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers acknowledge that the provision is experiencing a difficult time. Staffing issues have led to children and their families experiencing inconsistencies and being let down. The decision to reduce the service provided to children has prevented further disruption while recruitment of staff takes place. Planning to increase children's stays is underway. Recruitment practice has carefully considered the skillset required to work in the provision. A new induction programme for staff aims to ensure that staff receive all the information and training they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers complete informative reviews of children's care and outcomes. These reviews document children's progress, but they provide limited consideration of how staff have contributed to this. Planning for children includes essential information about children, including their care needs. However, it does not set out children's individual goals and targets or how staff will support them to reach them. This prevents Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 5 leaders and managers from analysing and evaluating the effectiveness of the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings. These facilitate comprehensive conversations about the needs of children and the provision. However, managers do not provide staff with reflective supervision sessions. When supervision sessions take place, there is a good emphasis on staff wellbeing and working conditions. However, there is usually a very limited focus on reflection of practice and the needs of children and safeguarding. This does not support staff to improve the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Existing staff have not always received the training that leaders and managers have deemed essential for their role. Leaders and managers have recognised this, and planning is in place to ensure that all staff complete it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have not informed Ofsted when cumulative medication errors have occurred. This has prevented external oversight of the incidents and measures taken to ensure the ongoing safety of children. Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards'. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children's home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that medication is administered to children as prescribed by medical professionals. 30 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that documents that detail risks, and how risks should be managed, contain all 2 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 7 known risks. They should provide clear guidance on how staff should manage risks.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that suitable arrangements are made to allow children to fully explore their experiences following an allegation being made. In addition, ensure that children are provided with feedback following the conclusion of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are clear processes in place to ensure that children are supported to work towards achieving specific goals and to make progress.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must monitor the care and support provided in the home. They must ensure that they monitor and review staff practice and children's outcomes to inform care planning for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that staff are provided with appropriate resources to complete training and development that they have deemed essential for their role. In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff receive reflective supervision sessions that include a focus on safeguarding and practice. 30 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 8 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must notify Ofsted of cumulative errors in providing children with prescribed medication. 2 March 2026.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that restrictions on children are thoroughly and regularly reviewed to ensure that they are necessary to keep the child safe. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards'. Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Plymouth City Council, Ballard House, West Hoe Road, Plymouth PL1 3BJ

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Whitman

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC454900 10 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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